Archive for the 'Adam Levin' Tag Under 'Soundcheck' Category

Monday night's triple bill at the Hollywood Bowl, which teamed local heroes Maroon 5 with enduring Bay Area group Train and singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw, was sponsored by MyFM (104.3), whose combination of Top 40 hits and adult contemporary fare has made it a radio training bra for listeners who will eventually grow into the stodgier KOST 103.5.

It is stations like that and their respective listeners who rescued Train from the clutches of obscurity. I like to imagine the band sitting in a dark corner somewhere, screaming “hey-ey hey-ey-ey-ey” until a couple of exasperated studio execs threw their hands up and said, “Fine, you can be famous again.”

Yet, even though the comeback kids have soared to another peak on the wings of “Hey, Soul Sister” – which in February scored them their first Grammy win in seven years (and third overall), it's still a waiting game to see whether they're experiencing a truly lasting career resurgence or simply running on borrowed time.

Based on Monday's set, the reality is probably somewhere in between. Everything about them was reasonably solid: guitarist Jimmy Stafford (who resembles Howie Mandel's long-lost twin) tackled some decent riffs; lead singer Pat Monahan, still a generic cross between Bono and Mick Jagger, tried his darndest to work the crowd with a mix of charismatic cockiness countered by self-deprecation.

Predictably, the brightest spot in their set was “Hey, Soul Sister,” still a little surprising considering that ditty's appeal has been thoroughly eroded by commercial overkill. Live, however, Train managed to recapture a good amount of the ukulele-driven tune's original charm. Their performance was perfectly acceptable and relatively entertaining – more than enough to satisfy those who came specifically to see them but not enough to necessarily win any new fans.